CAIRO: The information and media sector constitutes a key part of the democratic process, particularly during the elections, said Brigadier Jurist Ahmad Al-Hajri, the director of electoral affairs at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior. Hajri affirmed the State of Kuwait's keenness on media coverage of national elections on sidelines of the fourth meeting of electoral administrations, held at the Arab League headquarters under the theme, "the media and elections."

"The media presence in the elections is necessary to provide the public with a clear message and correct any misinformation to prevent the spread of rumors and any irregularities undermining the democratic action," said Hajri, who represented Kuwait at the meeting. The three-day Cairo meeting, organized by the Arab League Secretariat General in coordination with the United Nations and the UN Development Program, kicked on Monday.

It is designed to boost cooperation in the elections' realm among Arab electoral administrations. It grouped a large number of heads and members of electoral authorities in the Arab countries, representatives of international organizations. Among the main themes of the gathering is the media role in polling. Hajri indicated Kuwait's deep advocacy of transparency, integrity and neutrality in handling election nominees.

He shed some light in his statement on laws that penalize offenses, namely cybercrime laws and election laws. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior and other state departments, regularly, deploy personnel at the electoral sites in all phases of the polling process, he said. – KUNA